Mystery of Love

12

Aside from the Randy problem, he really did not feel the need to always look after Kaleb. After all, he is capable of protecting himself from danger.

Kaleb would never be bullied by anyone. He is always quick to retort criticisms targeted towards him. However, almost as if he had a split personality, a softer side of him was revealed only to a few individuals.

One of them was Theo, according to his personal speculation. It was purely for that reason that he decided to accompany Kaleb back home that day.

Theo had the option of waiting in school for his father to pick him up, but because Kaleb lived close by, he decided to go with him. There was something about Kaleb which made Theo gravitate towards him on that particular day.

Walking down the narrow pathway outside school, Theo struggled to carry the two textbooks in his arms. He should've gotten a strap to tie the books together.

Theo looked over at Kaleb, who was walking beside him. He kept his dreamy eyes looking forward, unaffected by Theo's stare. Maybe he was tired. His uniform was too tight, even though his body was so small.

"Ohh I remember this coffee shop...It still looks the same as last time when we came here in middle school." Theo said as they walked past the place.

A strong wave of nostalgia swept over him as he recalled the neighbourhood where they went right after school dismissal. The school they used to attend could be seen from the top floor of their current school building so it was no surprise how near Kaleb's house was. He never had to take a bus or any vehicle to reach school.

"You're going to follow me all the way home?" Kaleb asked curiously.

"Nahh my father is coming to fetch me...wait, where should I tell him to fetch me?" Theo blurted in response to that awkward question.

"There's a driveway that leads to the main road across these blocks. We can stay around that area while waiting but let's go to the mart first."

"Sure." Theo replied.

Crossing another housing block, they arrived at the mart which was essentially a small convenience stall. Kaleb navigated through the cramped space between the shelves filled with mainly food products. Theo followed behind as they quickly left the stall after purchasing at the counter. It was simply too warm to stay inside for more than five minutes.

"This place feels so nostalgic for some reason." Theo finally admitted.

"It's probably cause we used to come here often with our friends back in middle school." He continued.

"Do you miss any of them? I mean...How many of them are u still in contact with?"

After a brief pause, Theo replied: "honestly, I seldom talk to any of them now. It's like we just drifted...I mean, we have our own lives."

"Who do you like the most from middle school?" Kaleb suddenly questioned.

"W-What? You mean the friend I like the most?

"I guess."

"Probably Zack...We spent a lot of time together. Well, you know his my best friend..."

Theo hoped he would stop asking questions revolving their past as he didn't want to talk about it.

However, Kaleb seemed to want more answers: "But is there anyone you like...?"

"I'm just curious if you like anyone..." Kaleb quickly continued.

Theo wasn't sure how the conversation took such a huge turn. He started to blush unknowingly as both of them approached a bench to sit.

Kaleb was now staring at him with eyes wide open, whole-heartedly interested in his response.

"Erm...I don't like anyone at the present moment..." Theo replied without thinking.

Approximately five seconds later, he finally understood what Kaleb was hinting to him. His mind was racing with a dozen thoughts per second: "Was Kaleb flirting with him? Why would he ask such a random yet bold question...?" It wasn't like Kaleb to talk about anything remotely romantic. He simply could not come up with a definite answer at that moment.

His heart was beating profusely. It was an exhilarating feeling. They didn't even need to say anything, but the message was clearly conveyed to each other.

All of a sudden, Theo's phone vibrated loudly. He picked up the phone and held it to his ear: "I'm pulling up to the place you sent me but I don't see you..."

"Um, I have to go...I'll see you in school?" Theo verbalized.

"Okay. See you."

As he approached the car, he turned his head only to notice Kaleb turning around as well whilst walking in the opposite direction. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥, 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘴.

In the car, he was trying to process what just happened. An inside voice was whispering: "You're falling in love."

However, it wasn't so straightforward, he found it difficult to believe that Kaleb could potentially be gay...or bi..., or anything but straight.

He did recall Kaleb once complimenting a boy "cute" back in middle school, but straight people can compliment other straight people too.

More importantly, did Kaleb just confess his feelings to him? He didn't explicitly express it, but Theo was sure he felt the energy between them.

He drew deep breaths to avoid letting his father notice his flustered expression. His mind finally calmed down as he stared out the window in the direction that Kaleb left.